The present invention relates, in general, to devices for handling fan fold paper, and more particularly, to a tray for restacking fan fold paper fed along a predetermined travel path by a fan fold paper handling device.
It is common practice to print information from a computer on an elongated run of paper, typically referred to as continuous or fan fold paper. Fan fold paper, as is well known in the art, is a continuous strip of paper having regularly spaced perforations along its longitudinal marginal edges to facilitate transport of the paper strip, and transverse alternating folds at predetermined intervals to establish substantially equal sized individual panels which can be folded upon one another to form a neat compact stack. Recent electrostatographic reproduction apparatus have been designed with the capability of copying information contained on either individual documents or fan fold paper. An example of such apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,543 (issued Dec. 24, 1991, in the name of Lawniczak et al). In such apparatus, a motor driven tractor assembly is utilized to transport the fan fold paper such that it is fed along a predetermined travel path from a stack supported in a supply hopper across the platen of the reproduction apparatus and then deposited in a tray for restacking. At appropriate times, the reproduction apparatus is activated in a well known manner to copy information from the individual panels of the fan fold paper.